Exactly one year after announcing what proved to be a short-lived retirement, Tom Brady has once again announced his retirement from football. And this time, he says it's "for good."
Brady made the announcement with a video posted to social media on Wednesday morning, which you can watch below.
"I'm retiring, for good," Brady says. "I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first. I won't be long-winded. I think you only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year. So, I really thank you guys so much, to every single one of you, for supporting me. My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors -- I could go on forever. There's too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn't change a thing. Love you all."
Brady, 45, retires as the NFL's all-time leader in virtually every quarterback statistic, including wins (251), passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).
Most importantly, he won seven Super Bowls, more than any other player in league history. Six of those came during his 20 years with the New England Patriots, and then he won a seventh in his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
This past season, Brady and the Bucs made the playoffs, but with a record of just 8-9. They lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 31-14, in the Wild Card round. Brady finished the season with 4,694 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Brady would have been a free agent this offseason had he decided to continue playing. There was speculation that at least a few teams would have been interested in signing him, but now that won't happen.